Comments on: First You Crawl, Then Walk, Then Runhttp://blogs.ancestry.com/worldarchivesproject/?p=1082 Mon, 30 Mar 2015 19:36:57 +0000hourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.2By: thereseconnorshttp://blogs.ancestry.com/worldarchivesproject/?p=1082&cpage=2#comment-2746 thereseconnorsSat, 14 May 2011 23:45:36 +0000http://blogs.ancestry.com/worldarchivesproject/?p=1082#comment-2746I have 3 children and soon 7 grandchildren Crista. so know all about one step forward very wobbly. I am 65 and have cerebellar atrophy. I spend most of my day taking very unsteady small steps.

I have learned a lot about patience and wishing and hoping.

]]>By: Gail Tubbshttp://blogs.ancestry.com/worldarchivesproject/?p=1082&cpage=2#comment-2691 Gail TubbsMon, 09 May 2011 02:13:42 +0000http://blogs.ancestry.com/worldarchivesproject/?p=1082#comment-2691I just signed up about a half an hour ago and have been reading blogs and tips since then. After reading about the problem new keyers have in contacting someone for help, I also think we should have the buddy system. I am a fast learner and a self-teacher, but there are times when I need to talk to someone with more experience to get me over the hump. Is there a reason we can’t do this? ]]>By: Crista Cowanhttp://blogs.ancestry.com/worldarchivesproject/?p=1082&cpage=2#comment-2585 Crista CowanMon, 25 Apr 2011 23:03:32 +0000http://blogs.ancestry.com/worldarchivesproject/?p=1082#comment-2585Thank you all so much for the fantastic feedback. I’ve addressed some of these issues in today’s blog post. You can find it here: http://blogs.ancestry.com/worldarchivesproject/?p=1092 ]]>By: World Archives Project News - » Feedback Follow-Uphttp://blogs.ancestry.com/worldarchivesproject/?p=1082&cpage=2#comment-2584 World Archives Project News - » Feedback Follow-UpMon, 25 Apr 2011 22:59:59 +0000http://blogs.ancestry.com/worldarchivesproject/?p=1082#comment-2584[...] couple of weeks ago we discussed new keyers and how best to provide them with encouragement. You had some fantastic feedback! Today [...] ]]>By: Haijenhttp://blogs.ancestry.com/worldarchivesproject/?p=1082&cpage=2#comment-2581 HaijenSat, 23 Apr 2011 01:50:02 +0000http://blogs.ancestry.com/worldarchivesproject/?p=1082#comment-2581Other keying projects I have worked on have mentors – they ‘adopt’ new keyers, giving them advice, tips, encouragement as they develop into experienced keyers. They are given individual feedback and it is done in a supportive way. Before starting on ‘live’ projects, new keyers work on a training system – getting used to the software and the idiosyncrasies of the project. That way, they are learning without impacting on the live project and their own statistics. We NEED all of the above if people are not to become disillusioned. Crista says we have 700 new keyers a week – how many of these are still actively participating after a month, six months, a year? I would think very few. I have reviewed and arbitrated sets that have been keyed with the same errors continually being made. You can tell they are the same people making the same mistakes/misinterpretations over and over. They will keep doing this until either they become totally destroyed by amazingly low accuracy ratings or someone TELLS them. Arbitrators try very hard to get the message to the keyers. As a group, we probably spend almost as much time on the message boards, wiki etc as we doing on the keying tool much or the time. The problem is, there is no sure way to get the message to keyers. We need to be able to tell these people what is going wrong – why, despite their best efforts, they can’t improve their accuracy. If WAP is worried about offending these keyers, or lack of diplomacy in delivering the message, there are two options. 1. Have a fully automated system that gives feedback based on what has been changed in arbitration/review. The keyer would be able to see what has been changed and ask for explanation on the message boards. 2. Have a system of mentors that can be supported and trained to do the delivery and perhaps they can maintain the keying instruction help files so there is less ambiguity in some of the keying requirements. One final comment – when doing my research in Ancestry, I take the time to correct the occasional keying/transcription error in the live records. I may do one of these every month or so. Invariably, I receive a “thank you” email from Ancestry, welcoming my so tiny, insignificant contribution. Keyers and arbitrators who may dedicate all their spare time to these projects never receive any such acknowledgment. Maybe some personalised system of recognition could be developed. Not something that seems false and automatic, but something that acknowledges things such as an increase in the number of records/accuracy being done, participation in the Wiki and message boards etc. ]]>By: Donna Backushttp://blogs.ancestry.com/worldarchivesproject/?p=1082&cpage=2#comment-2579 Donna BackusThu, 21 Apr 2011 01:37:25 +0000http://blogs.ancestry.com/worldarchivesproject/?p=1082#comment-25791st – Thankfully the project pages are now much clearer, the more detail the better.

2nd – I agree that feed back should be offered to keyers especially when they repeat the same mistake over and over. I personally have been guilty of this and wish somebody had pointed out my mistake to me.

3rd – I also think that a keying test is a good idea. Asking someone to key 2 or 3 records off of 5 to 10 different images, set up to give a rating followed by a review of what actually should have been keyed would be a great learning tool. Even if it is set up just to re-enforce the “keying standards” it would be a great tool for both beginers and anyone who just wants to refresh their skills.

Keep up the good work….

]]>By: Colette Chadwickhttp://blogs.ancestry.com/worldarchivesproject/?p=1082&cpage=2#comment-2577 Colette ChadwickWed, 20 Apr 2011 03:07:00 +0000http://blogs.ancestry.com/worldarchivesproject/?p=1082#comment-2577I think all of the suggestions listed are great, but I especially like the suggestion of being given feedback as to the mistakes I have made. You can’t fix what you don’t know is broken. ]]>By: Andriahttp://blogs.ancestry.com/worldarchivesproject/?p=1082&cpage=2#comment-2576 AndriaTue, 19 Apr 2011 18:47:20 +0000http://blogs.ancestry.com/worldarchivesproject/?p=1082#comment-2576I have helped out with Project Gutenberg Distributed Proofreaders with keying old books and documents to release to public domain. What was really helpful was to be able to see the records that I entered, and any corrections that were made. I could then look at the original document and see exactly where my inconsistency was. This helped me to improve before entering hundreds or thousands of records.

If you haven’t seen their site, it is a great way to provide feedback and mentoring to volunteers.

I would love to be able to see exactly what I keyed incorrectly as soon as it has been arbitrated.

Thanks for letting us give suggestions!

]]>By: Amihttp://blogs.ancestry.com/worldarchivesproject/?p=1082&cpage=2#comment-2564 AmiFri, 15 Apr 2011 18:01:57 +0000http://blogs.ancestry.com/worldarchivesproject/?p=1082#comment-2564I agree that examples would be most helpful to me. To see the original and then next to it what a keyed page should look like for that particular project. ]]>By: Janet Sadowskihttp://blogs.ancestry.com/worldarchivesproject/?p=1082&cpage=2#comment-2558 Janet SadowskiFri, 15 Apr 2011 02:46:01 +0000http://blogs.ancestry.com/worldarchivesproject/?p=1082#comment-2558A couple of example pages showing records that have been done (both original record and input) so I can browse and see what it’s supposed to look like would be helpful. ]]>